Katy Perry wasn't enough to boost revenue for media company Viacom Inc. The New York-based cable television giant Thursday reported 13% higher fiscal fourth-quarter earnings but revenue plummeted 17% because the company, through its Hollywood-based movie studio Paramount Pictures, released only one film during the period: "Katy Perry: Part of Me. " For the quarter ended Sept. 30, Viacom posted net income of $650 million, or $1.26 per share, compared to $576 million, or $1 per share, in the year-earlier period.

After the coffee. Before deciding whether to see "Nymphomaniac" now or wait for the edited version on cable. The Skinny: Caught Sunday's "The Walking Dead" last night where the Lizzie character got Fredo'd. Godfather fans will get the reference. Tough to watch, but she had to go. Wednesday's roundup includes a recap of Disney's annual meeting and Viacom's settling of a long legal fight with Google's YouTube. Also, a profile of NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt.

DirecTV has fired back at Viacom Inc., saying it is the programmer's desire to force the satellite broadcaster to carry its movie channel Epix that has caused a breakdown in their negotiations for a new deal. In a statement, DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer said the company had reached a new agreement in principle Tuesday to carry Viacom's cable channels, including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Then, Mercer said, Viacom tried to force carriage of its pay movie channel Epix as part of the contract at a cost of more than $500 million.

Viacom Inc. on Wednesday said it planned to appeal a federal court decision in its copyright infringement case against Google Inc.'s YouTube video website. In June, U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton declared that YouTube had not violated copyright laws because the website promptly removed pirated videos when requested by rights holders such as Viacom. Viacom's notice to appeal, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Southern District of New York, was not the full appellate brief outlining Viacom's legal arguments, which is expected later this fall.

A federal appeals court has given Viacom a second chance to prove its copyright infringement claims against Google's YouTube, reviving a high-stakes battle between entertainment companies and Internet entrepreneurs over "user-generated content" sites. The decision Thursday by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals was a partial win for both sides, but it left a few important issues unsettled as it tried to strike the right balance between competing interests. Viacom — a giant entertainment conglomerate whose assets include Paramount Pictures and Comedy Central — alleged that YouTube made more than 60,000 snippets of its content available for free, damaging the market for its movies and TV shows.

The three top executives of media company Viacom Inc. received a total compensation of nearly $165 million in fiscal 2010, underscoring that despite tougher times for the entertainment business, the industry's executives continue to rank among the highest paid in America. The disclosures came in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing by Viacom, which owns Paramount Pictures and cable television channels MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. Chief Executive Philippe Dauman was awarded salary, stock and other benefits totaling $84.5 million in the fiscal year, which comprised the first nine months of 2010, according to the documents filed Friday.

DirecTV has received a show of support from an unusual source in its feud with Viacom over a new deal to carry the media giant's cable channels including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Cox Communications Inc., the nation's fifth-largest cable operator with almost 5 million subscribers and a competitor to DirecTV, says the satellite broadcaster is right to fight Viacom's push to raise the price tag to carry its networks. In a statement, Bob Wilson, a senior vice president of Cox Communications, said the fight is indicative of bigger market forces at work that need to be addressed.

Small cable operators think Viacom, parent of MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and several other networks, is trying to squeeze them. The National Cable Television Cooperative -- which represents more than 800 primarily rural cable operators and negotiates programming deals on their behalf -- charged that Viacom wants to dramatically increase the fees to carry its channels to prices that are 40 times greater than the rate of inflation. NCTC President and Chief Executive Rich Fickle said Viacom was punishing small operators because it could no longer get the rate increases it was accustomed to from bigger distributors such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable and DirecTV.

Wall Street analysts are nervous about Viacom Inc.'s short-term growth amid a ratings slump at the company's key television networks. Ratings are down about 30% this season at MTV, the company's signature cable channel. The youth-skewing network also is losing its juggernaut franchise "Jersey Shore," which could make matters worse. And for the last year, Viacom's other major cash cow, Nickelodeon, has been struggling to stop the flight of young viewers. TV networks provide about 90% of the Viacom's profits. On Thursday, Wells Fargo media analyst Marci Ryvicker was blunt during a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's fiscal fourth quarter.

After the coffee. Before spending another day glued to TV news. The Skinny: Since ESPN has the Redskins for its opening Monday night game, the scheduling gurus at the NFL must be pretty confident that quarterback Robert Griffin III will be fully recovered from his knee injury. Hope they are right. Friday's headlines include the box-office preview, YouTube's latest legal win over Viacom and reviews of "Oblivion" and "Hemlock Grove. " Daily Dose: The Emmy Awards will be a little bit longer this year.